Michael Billington to step down as Guardian chief critic

Michael Billington, the Guardian’s chief theatre critic, has announced he is stepping down from the role after nearly half a century.

Billington has held the position since 1971, and began theatre criticism several years earlier, joining the Times in 1965.

He described his 48 years at the Guardian as “a huge privilege and pleasure”, but said he felt now was the right time to step down.

“I shall shortly be 80 and, with the years, the stress of writing to a deadline doesn’t get any easier. Giving up will be a wrench but I feel now is the right time to do it,” he said in the Guardian.

Billington told The Stage he sought a “more leisurely life” as he approached his 80th birthday, but said he would not stop writing about theatre and would continue to contribute to the Guardian.

He will review until the end of this year, and the paper said his successor would be announced soon.

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Speaking about the changes to criticism he has witnessed during his tenure, he said the biggest adjustment had been technological, highlighting “the fact that now there’s a right of instant rebuttal on the part of readers with below the line comments”.

He added: “The other thing is there are many more critics, but there are fewer obvious print vacancies. Everyone who wishes to can now set up their own website, which is very healthy and democratic, but at the same time the space in newspapers, the opportunity in newspapers, is shrinking.”

However, he said he is not pessimistic about the future of criticism in the UK, and believed that print reviews will continue.

“Criticism now has to be more utilitarian. By that I mean it has to fulfil a very precise function of telling readers whether they should go and see something and if it is worth spending money on. Having said that, I still think there is room for good writing…it’s about giving the reader a pleasurable experience even if they’re not going to see the show,” he said.

Katharine Viner, the Guardian’s editor-in-chief, said: “I’ve been reading Michael’s writing for as long as I can remember – the insights, flair and depth of his writing have been essential to my understanding of theatre for decades, as it has for so many Guardian readers.

“The ‘Billington review’ is a vital moment for any new production, as eagerly sought out by readers and rival critics as it is by performers and directors.”

In a 2015 interview with The Stage, Billington noted that it is now unusual for a critic to remain attached to a publication as long as he has with the Guardian.

He said: “Nowadays, people are more restless and the industry is much more unreliable, as we both know. I’m part of a lucky generation that had a kind of stability, where newspapers, when I started out, seemed likely to continue and if you enjoyed the job and did it to your employer’s satisfaction, you stayed.”

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